Reaffirming
the purposes and principles of the Charter, the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights(1) and relevant international human rights treaties,
including the International Covenants on Human Rights,(2)

Recalling
its resolutions 66/176 of 19 December 2011, 66/253 A of 16 February
2012 and 66/253 B of 3 August 2012, Human Rights Council resolutions
S-16/1 of 29 April 2011,3 S-17/1 of 23 August 2011,(3) S-18/1 of 2
December 2011,(4) 19/1 of 1 March 2012,(5) 19/22 of 23 March 2012,(5) S-19/1 of 1 June 2012,(5) 20/22 of 6 July 2012(5) and 21/26 of
28 September 2012, and Security Council resolutions 2042 (2012) of 14
April 2012 and 2043 (2012) of 21 April 2012,

Recalling
also all resolutions of the League of Arab States relating to the
situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular its resolution
7523 of 5 September 2012, in which the League expressed its strong
condemnation of the continuing violence, murder and heinous crimes
committed by the Syrian authorities and its affiliated “shabbiha”
militias against Syrian civilians and the use of heavy weapons,
including tanks, artillery and warplanes in its bombardment of
populated neighbourhoods and villages, as well as arbitrary
executions and enforced disappearances, in flagrant violation of
human rights and fundamental freedoms, and called upon the Government
of the Syrian Arab Republic to cease immediately and completely all
forms of killing and violence against the Syrian people,

Welcoming
the relevant decisions of the League of Arab States on the
developments in respect of the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic,

Welcoming
also resolution 2/4-EX (IS) of the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation of 15 August 2012 on the situation in the Syrian Arab
Republic, in which the Organization called for the immediate
implementation of the transitional plan and the development of a
peaceful mechanism that would allow the building of a new Syrian
state based on pluralism and a democratic and civilian system, where
there would be equality on the basis of law, citizenship and
fundamental freedoms,

Reaffirming
its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the
principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Strongly
condemning the shelling as well as the shooting by the Syrian armed
forces into neighbouring countries, which led to casualties and
injuries of the civilians of those countries as well as of Syrian
refugees, and underscoring that such incidents violated international
law and highlighted the grave impact of the crisis in the Syrian Arab
Republic on the security of its neighbours and on regional peace and
stability,

Expressing
grave concern at the escalation of violence in the Syrian Arab
Republic, in particular the continued widespread and systematic gross
violations of human rights and the continued use of heavy weapons and
aerial bombardments by the Syrian authorities against the Syrian
population, and the failure of the Government of the Syrian Arab
Republic to protect its population,

Taking
note with concern of the report of the Secretary-General on children
and armed conflict,(6) which indicates the occurrence of
grave violations against children in the Syrian Arab Republic, that
children were among the victims of military operations carried out by
Government forces, including the Syrian armed forces, intelligence
forces and “shabbiha” militias, and that children as young as
nine years of age were victims of killing and maiming, arbitrary
arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment, including sexual
violence, and used as human shields,

Expressing
concern at the vulnerable situation of women in this context,
including being subjected to discrimination, sexual and physical
abuse, violation of their privacy and arbitrary arrest and detention
in raids, including to force their male relatives to surrender, and
underlining the importance of preventing all sexual violence and
violence based on gender,

Deploring
the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation and the
failure to ensure safe and timely provision of humanitarian
assistance to all areas affected by the fighting,

Expressing
great concern about the escalating violence causing an influx of
Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries and countries of the
region,

Expressing
its deep concern at the failure to implement the six-point proposal(7) of the former joint special envoy of the United Nations
and the League of Arab States, welcoming the appointment of the new
joint special representative of the United Nations and the League of
Arab States on the Syrian crisis, and expressing its full support for
his efforts towards the peaceful transition to a pluralistic,
democratic civil State with equality in citizenship and freedoms,

Recalling
the statements made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights before the Human Rights Council and the Security Council that
crimes against humanity are likely to have been committed in the
Syrian Arab Republic,

Expressing
the urgent need to achieve a cessation of violence and prevent its
further escalation and spread,

1.
Strongly condemns the continued widespread and systematic gross
violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian
authorities and the Government-controlled “shabbiha” militia,
such as the use of heavy weapons, aerial bombardments and force
against civilians, massacres, arbitrary executions, extrajudicial
killings, the killing and persecution of protestors, human rights
defenders and journalists, arbitrary detention, enforced
disappearances, interference with access to medical treatment,
torture, sexual violence and ill-treatment, including against
children, as well as any human rights abuses by armed opposition
groups;

2.
Calls upon the Syrian authorities to immediately put an end to all
human rights violations and attacks against civilians, to protect the
population and to fully comply with their obligations under
applicable international law, and calls upon all parties to put an
end to all forms of violence;

3.
Urges the Syrian authorities to release immediately all persons
arbitrarily detained, including the members of the Syrian Centre for
Media and Freedom of Expression, to publish a list of all detention
facilities, to ensure that conditions of detention comply with
applicable international law and to immediately allow access of
independent monitors to all detention facilities;

4.
Stresses its support for the aspirations of the Syrian people for a
peaceful, democratic and pluralistic society, in which there is no
room for sectarianism or discrimination on ethnic, religious,
linguistic or any other grounds, based on the promotion of universal
respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

5.
Welcomes the report of the independent international commission of
inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic,(8) submitted pursuant to
Human Rights Council resolution 19/22, and the recommendations
contained therein;

6.
Regrets the continued non-cooperation of the Government of the Syrian
Arab Republic with the commission of inquiry;

7.
Demands that the Syrian authorities provide the commission of inquiry
and individuals working on its behalf immediate, full and unfettered
entry and access to all areas of the Syrian Arab Republic, and
demands also that all parties cooperate fully with the commission of
inquiry in the performance of its mandate;

8.
Encourages the relevant United Nations bodies to invite the chair of
the commission of inquiry to brief them on the situation of human
rights in the Syrian Arab Republic;

9.
Stresses the importance of ensuring accountability and the need to
end impunity and hold to account those responsible for human rights
violations, including those violations that may amount to crimes
against humanity;

10.
Also stresses the need to follow up on the report of the commission
of inquiry and to conduct an international, transparent, independent
and prompt investigation into abuses and violations of international
law, with a view to holding to account those responsible for
violations and abuses, including those that may amount to crimes
against humanity and war crimes, and encourages members of the
international community to ensure that there is no impunity for such
violations or abuses;

11.
Further stresses the important role that international justice could
play in this regard;

12.
Calls upon the Syrian authorities to immediately and fully implement
the agreed humanitarian response plan, including by granting
immediate, safe, full and unimpeded access of humanitarian personnel
to all populations in need of assistance, in particular to civilian
populations in need of evacuation, as well as safe, full and
unimpeded access for affected civilians to humanitarian assistance
and services, and also calls upon all parties in the Syrian Arab
Republic, in particular the Syrian authorities, to cooperate fully
with the United Nations and relevant humanitarian organizations to
facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance;

13.
Strongly condemns intentional and repeated attacks against medical
facilities, personnel and vehicles as well as the use of medical
civilian facilities, including hospitals, for armed purposes, and
calls for all medical facilities to be free of weapons, including
heavy weapons, in accordance with applicable international law;

14.
Expresses grave concern at the increasing numbers of refugees and
internally displaced persons as a result of the ongoing violence,
reiterates its appreciation of the significant efforts that have been
made by neighbouring countries and the countries of the region to
assist those who have fled across the borders of the Syrian Arab
Republic as a consequence of the violence, and urges all relevant
United Nations agencies, in particular the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and other donors, to provide
urgent and coordinated support to Syrian refugees and their host
countries;

15.
Urges the international community to provide urgent financial support
to the host countries to enable them to respond to the growing
humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing the
principle of burden-sharing;

16.
Urges all donors to provide expeditiously financial support to the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and international
humanitarian organizations, as requested in the humanitarian appeals
issued by the United Nations system and the host countries, so that
they can implement more actively the humanitarian response plan
inside the country;

17.
Invites Member States to provide all support to the Syrian people,
and encourages Member States to contribute to the United Nations
humanitarian response efforts.

----------------------------

1.
Resolution 217 A (III).

2.
Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

3.
See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-sixth Session,
Supplement No. 53 (A/66/53), chap. I.